11th-hour bid to halt Iraq war revelations

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Foreign Office says envoy's book 'risks damaging morale'
The foreign office has made a last-ditch attempt to stop one of its former senior diplomats from publishing a book claiming that the government knew that Iraq did not represent a significant threat to the West in the run-up to the Iraq war.

Last night Carne Ross, who was a member of the British mission to the United Nations, declined to comment on a letter asking him to 'reconsider' his decision to publish his book, Independent Diplomat, other than to describe it as 'unpleasant'.

A spokesman said: 'The Foreign and Commonwealth Office disagrees fundamentally with much of the book and is disappointed that Mr Ross has chosen to misrepresent the FCO. In doing so, he risks damaging the credibility and morale of the FCO and the relationship of confidence and trust within government.'

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Ross's book is likely to make uncomfortable reading for ministers as it raises questions about why the government continued to support the Iraq invasion if it did not believe that Saddam Hussein was a genuine threat.

A diplomat for 15 years, Ross resigned in 2004 after giving secret testimony to the Butler inquiry on the war. It included the allegation that between 1998 and mid-2002, when Ross worked at the UN, Britain and the United States assessed that Iraq was not a threat.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2000407,00.html